Handwheel control for looms



Oct. 3, 1944. R. G. TURNER HAND WHEEL CONTROL FOR LOOMS ffm/mrd f 7207767 Patented Oct. 3, 1944 HANDWHEEL coN'rRoL'roa LooMs Richard G. Turner, Worcester, Mass., assignor to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application February 5, 1944, Serial No. 521,207

. 8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in hand wheel controls for looms and it is the general object of the invention to provide means by which the weaver may easily turn over the loom shafts to place the lay in correctposition for the repair of a defect either in the weft or the warp system of the loom.

The ordinary loom includes'in its construction a lay which reciprocates between the front and back center positions and Contains also provision for stopping the loom upon 'any one of several contingencies, such as breakage of the weft or warp, or misplacement of the shuttle. After the loom has been stopped it is frequently necessary for the weaver tdmove the lay to an advantageous position for correcting the defect, but in certain types of looms this operation requires considerable effort. It is an important object of my present invention to provide a normally stationary hand wheel associated with parts which are movable into driving relation with respect to the loom and wherein reduction gearing between the loom and the hand wheel reduces the Veffort required to' move the lay;

It is customary to employ a kbrake which acts to stop the loom upon operation oi a stop mecha-` nism of the loom. Before the loom shafts can be turned manually it is necessaryto throw the brake to non-braking position, and it is a further object of my present invention to provide means by which the brake can be thrown to non-stopping.

position simultaneously with movement of the hand wheeland its gearing to operating position by some such means as a foot treadle which will leave the weavers hands free to turn the hand wheel.

When the loom is manually stopped, as at the end of a working period, it is desirable to apply the brake without necessarily moving the hand wheel and its gearing into operative position with respect to the loom, and it is accordingly a further object of my present invention to provide a lost motion connection between the brake and the mechanism for moving the hand Wheel into driving relation with respect to the loom operating in such manner as to allow the brake to move independently of the hand wheel, but so constructed that the hand Wheel and brake can be caused to move simultaneously.

It is another object of the present invention to connection so that the loom is` automaticallyv placed in condition for simultaneous throwing off of the brake and movementof the hand wheel and its gearing into operative position relatively to the loom.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, fnyv invention resides in the combination and arrangement 0f parts hereinafter described and set forth.V

In the accompanying drawing, wherein a convenient embodimentrof my'inv'entin is s'et forth,

Figi. 1 is a side elevatin ofa lo'orn having my invention applied thereto and showing the hand wheel in normal or idle position 'and the brake in stopping position, the lay being in section, and on front center position,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of Fig. 1 look--A ingdown diagonally at theshaft connected to the hand wheel inthe general direction of arrow 2, Fig'. 1, and

Fig.`3 is an operating view similar to a portion of Fig. 1, but showing the hand wheel moved to operating position and the brake in running position.

In the accompanying drawing, the loom frame Ill supports the usual top'or crank shaft II attached by means of a connector I2 to a'lay' L. During loom operation shaft II` makes one rotation for each pick of the loom andcauses a back and forth reciprocatio'n of the lay. The loom is provided with driving mechanism not shown but of `usual construction-and is equippedfalso with a brake handle.' I5 secured to a shaft I6 and having a depending arm I-'Irwhich turns with the handle` I5. A lever I8 is pivoted with respect to the loom frame at I9 and has a slot 20 in the upper end thereof receiving a pin-` 2I on arm` I'I-. The lower end of the lever is pivoted at 22 to a link 23 the lower end of which is attached to a rearwardly extending bar 24 connected in usual manner to the brake mechanism not lshown of the,

loom. 4

Under normal conditions the handle I5 willbe pulled forwardly orto the right to the position shown in Fig. 3, to move the brake to running or non-'braking position. When the loom is stopped the handle I5 will be pushed rearwardly, thereby changing thev relation of the mechanism connected to it and causing the rocking of lever I8 with resultant movement of bar 24 to apply the brake. Rearward movement of the handle I5 may be 'accomplished either manually or by means of any one of several vautomaticallyv acting stop mechanisms of the loom, such' as the 'warp'stop motion designated generally at' WS. i, The warpv stop motion may' include dinpf wires D and D which straddle warp threadsv W and W and act in usual manner on breakage of the warp thread to set stopping mechanism into operation for moving the brake handle to stopping or braking position. Drop wire D' is shown down due to breakage of its thread W', a condition which causes loom stoppage in well known manner. The mechanism WS is merely illustrative of one of the several mechanisms which operate to stop the loom.

Except as noted hereinafter the matter thus far described is of common construction and may be made in the usual manner. Reference may be had for instance to the following patents `which set forth connections for the brake handle,

Nos. 197,641 to Knowles and 1,265,112 to Regan.

In carrying my present invention into effect I provide means for turning the lay L by manual application of power to the shaft I by means of a hand wheel or the like. It is to be understood that the lay L will not always stop in proper position for the correction of the fault of operation which stops the loom'and it is for this reason that some means must be provided by which the lay can be moved to the desired position. The loomside is provided with upper and lower stands 3D and 3|, respectively, having aligned diagonal bearings 32 and 33, respectively, through which extends a shaft or rod 34. The upper end of the shaft has secured thereto a hand wheel 35 while the lower end has fastened thereto a bevel pinion 36. The loom crank shaft Il in the present instance is not provided with the ordinary hand wheel, the latter being replaced by a bevel gear 40 the teeth 4| of which are adapted to mesh with the teeth 42 of the pinion 36.

The pinion 36 is ordinarily held spaced forwardly from the gear 40 by means of a compression spring 45 surrounding the shaft 34 and havingthe lower end thereof engaging bearing 33 and having the upper end thereof engaging the lower end or hub 46 of a yoke 41 the upper end or h'ub 48 of which lies between two collars 49 and D secured to the shaft 34. Bearing 32 is located between the hubs 46 and 48 and limits upward and forward movement of shaft 34 caused by spring 45 acting through yoke 41 and collar 49.

y Provision is made for moving the shaft 34 1ongitudinally downwardly and rearwardly to driving position by some means which can be operated by the weavers foot. In the present instance I show a treadle 5| pivoted at 50 to the loom frame and having a link 52 extending upwardly and connected as at 53 to a lever 54 pivoted at 55 to the loom frame. A pin 56 projects laterally from the forward end of lever 54 for a,

purpose to be described.

Connected to lever 54 is a flexible cable or the like ,60 extending upwardly and trained around a pulley 6| rotatably mounted on the stand 3|. From pulley 6| the connector 60 extends outwardly from the loomside around a second pulley 62 also rotatably mounted on stand 3|, and then leads to a connection 63 attached by means of a hook 64 to the yoke 41 at 65. It will be obvious that downward movement of the treadle 5| and lever 54 will exert a pull on connector 60 and cause the yoke 41 to move shaft 34 toward shaft I and thereby move the pinion 36 into mesh with the gear.

In order that the previously described mechanism may be operative to move the brake handle |5 to non-braking position I provide a link or rod 'IU the upper end of which is connected at 1| to the brake handle and the lower end of which carries a rod head 12 provided with a slot 7g 13 receiving the already described pin 56. When the latter is forced down against the part of the rod head 12 at the bottom of the slot it will cause downward movement of the rod 10 and rocking of the brake handle from the braking or stopping position shown in Fig. 1 to the running position shown in Fig. 3.

It is believed that the operation of the mech.- anism will be apparent from the foregoing description. Under normal running conditions the brake handle will be forward as indicated in Fig. 3 and spring 45 holds pinion 36 away from and out of mesh with the gear 40. These conditions continue so long as the loom is in operation, but upon loom stoppage for any reason, such as operation of the warp stop motion, the brake handle |5 will be moved to its braking position shown in Fig. 1, thereby lifting the rod 'i0 and raising the rod head 'I2 so that the lower end of slot 13 is close to or in engagement with pin 56. At this time the treadle 50 is raised and when the weaver comes to the loom to correct the defective operation he will depress the treadle from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 3, thereby lowering pin 56 the effect of which is to move the brake handle |5 to the running position shown in Fig. 3, and at the same time exerting a downward pull on the connector' the effect `of which as already described is to move the pinion 36 toward the gear 40. If the teeth of the pinion and gear are not properly positioned for immediate meshing the weaver can turn the hand wheel 35 until meshing is established, after which the foot treadle can be pushed all the way down to establish a close driving connection between the pinion and the gearing.

The loom is now in condition for manual operation and by turning the hand wheel 35 the weaver can cause the lay L to move to any desired position by a muscular effort considerably less than that which would be required by the ordinary type of hand wheel on the shaft Il. After the lay hasV been moved to its correct position the treadle is released, whereupon the spring 45 returns the hand wheel and pinion to the normal position shown in Fig. 1 and also raises the pin 56 in the slot 13 so that the weaver can throw the brake handle rearwardly to the braking position shown in Fig. 1 if he desires to hold the loom and lay in the position to which it was moved by the hand wheel.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided means by which a normally idle hand wheel can be connected to the loom for movement of the lay to any desired position. It will also be seen that the mechanism releases the brake and causes the pinion 36 .to move into mesh with the gear 40. Also, it will be seen that when the stop motion operates .to move .the handle from running to stopping position the rod 1D is automatically raised so that the pin 56 is in the bottom of the slot 13, hence the rst part of the down movement of the .treadle 5| will act t0 move the brake to running position and permit the loom to be'turned by hand through the hand wheel 35 as soon as the pinion and gear are meshed. As previously stated the warp stop motion is set forth herein as an example of one type of mechanism for stopping the loom when a fault occurs in one of the thread systems, but I do not wish to be limited to the use of my invention with a warp stop motion. Furthermore, after a pinion and gear are meshed the treadle can be released so that the weaver can move the handle to stopping `position to hold the lay in any position to which it has Vbeen moved.

Having thus described my invention it will Ibe seen that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and sco-pe of the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a loom having a shaft with a gear secured thereto and operating with a brake handle which is in off position when the loom is running and in on position when the loom is stopped, a pinion normally out of mesh with the gear, a hand wheel connected to the pinion, and manually operable means for simultaneously moving the pinion into mesh with the gear and moving the brake handle from on position .to off position.

2. In a loom having a shaft with a gear secured thereto and operating with a brake handle Which'is in off position when the loom is running and in on position when the loom is stopped, a pinion, a hand wheel connected to the pinion, resilient means normally holding the pinion out of mesh with the gear, and a foot treadle operatively connected to the pinion and to the brake handle and operative when moved to cause meshing of the pinion with the gear simultaneously with movement of the brake handle from on position to olf position.

3. In a loom having a shaft with a gear secured thereto and operating with a brake handle which is in olf position when the loom is running and in on position when the loom is stopped, a pinion, a slide rod on which the pinion is mounted, a hand wheel on the slide rod, a spring normally operative to hold the pinion out of mesh with the gear, and a foot treadle operatively connected to the slide rod and the brake handle and operative when moved to cause sliding of the rod against the action of the resilient means to effect meshing of the pinion with the gear and simultaneously elfect movement of the brake handle from on position to oi position.

4. In a loom having a shaft with a gear secured thereto and operating with a brake handle which is in oi position when the loom is running and in on position when the loom is stopped, a pinion, a slide rod on which the pinion is mounted, a hand wheel on the slide rod, a compression spring surrounding the rod, a support for the slide rod, a spring cooperating with the support normally vto hold the pinion out of mesh with the gear, a treadle movable from normal to working position, connections between the treadle and the slide rod, other connections between the treadle and the brake handle, said connections operative when the treadle is moved from normal to working position to cause the slide rod to move against the action of said spring and eect meshing. of the pinion and gear simultaneously with movement of the brake handle from on position to off position.

5. In a loom having a shaft with a gear secured thereto and operating with a brake handle which is in off position when the loom is running and in on position when the loom is stopped, a pinion normally out of mesh with the gear, a hand wheel operatively connected to the pinion to rotate the latter, a treadle movable to and from normal to working position, a connection between the treadle and the brake handle having a lost motion when moving in the direction in which the treadle moves when moving toward normal position, means operated by the treadle when the latter moves from normal to working position to effect meshing of the pinion with the gear simultaneous with transmission of a force through said connection to move the brake handle from on position to off position whereby to permit manual turning of the shaft by the hand wheel, and means to move the pinion out of mesh with the gear when the treadle moves from Working position to normal position thereof, said connection so constructed as to permit the brake handle to remain in off position when the treadle moves from Working to normal position.

6. In a loom having a shaft with a gear secured thereto and operating with a brake handle which is in off position when the loo-m is running and in on position when the loom is stopped, a pinion normally out of mesh with the gear, a hand wheel operatively connected to the pinion to rotate the latter, a treadle movable from normal to working position, a connection between the treadle and the brake handle, means operated by the treadle when the latter moves from normal to Working position to effect meshing of the pinion with the gear simultaneous` with transmission of a force through said connection to move the brake handle from on position to off position whereby to permit manual turning of the shaft by the hand wheel, said connection having a lost motion permitting the brake handle to remain inoff position when the treadle moves from working to normal position, and being so constructed as to permit movement of the brake handle to on -position when the treadle is in normal position.

7. In a loom having a brake handle in olf position when the loom is running and having a shaft provided with a gear secured thereto which turns when the loom is running, the loom having means effecting movement of the brake handle from the oil position to the on position upon occurrence of breakage of a thread in the loom, a pinion normally out of mesh with the gear, a treadle movable from normal to Working position, a connection between the treadle and the brake handle having a lost motion and permitting the handle to move from off position to on position upon occurrence of a thread breakage to take up the lost motion, and means connecting the treadle to the pinion operative to effect meshing of the latter with the gear when the treadle moves from normal to working position, movement from said treadle from normal to working position also causing movement of the brake handle from on position to olf position.

8. In a, loom having a shaft with a gear secured thereto and operating with a brake handle which isin oi position when the loom is running and is moved to on position incident to breakage of a thread in the loom, a pinion normally out of mesh with the gear, a hand wheel connected to the pinion for turning thereof, a treadle movable from normal to working position, connections between the treadle and the pinion, other connections between the treadle and the brake handle normally in force non-transmitting position when the treadle is in normal position and the brake handle is in olf position, movement of the brake handle to on position effecting movement of said other connections to a position to transmit a force from the treadle to the brake handle, movement of the treadle thereafter from normal to working fposition causing meshing of the pinion with the gear simultaneously with movement of the brake handle from on position to off position by a force transmitted through said other connection.

RICHARD G. TURNER. 

